Saturday, September 28, 2013

On Not Giving Up...



I've been off the radar for a while in the land of endurance sports.  I was ashamed to  post my measly 3-mile runs that take far longer than I'd like and most days, feel like a death march.  I've been ashamed to admit that, even more recently, some days I've been reduced to walking for exercise.  I've been ashamed to say that there are days I feel barely capable of getting out of bed and feeding myself and my 3-yr old, let alone doing any form of exercise.  Two years ago, I had earned a shiny new marathon PR and my first 70.3 finish.  How can I admit to the world that I can hardly exercise these days?  How can I possibly be a positive representative for endurance sport and a GOTRIbal Ambassador? 

The answer hit me just the other day.... by not giving up. By not letting my health issues define me.  By getting up and going out that door, even if it is just a walk, on the days I can.  My message to others was always "do what you are capable of right now" yet here I was expecting myself to do far more.  Being a GOTRIbal Ambassador and promoting the endurance sport life doesn't mean I have to run marathons or complete Ironman triathlons.  Being a GOTRIbal Ambassador means leading by example and letting others know that it is okay to start where you are RIGHT NOW.  

There are a lot of walks in my near future, a lot of easy yoga, and some very slow running.  Yes, someday I hope to be back running marathons and maybe even training for an Ironman.  But for now I will take my own advice... I will start where I am today. 

3 comments:

  1. Good for you! As I was reading I was thinking "don't be ashamed! You can only do what you can do"

    And then you said it. You rock!

    ReplyDelete